


A Friendly Game

by rowofstars



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-01
Updated: 2011-06-01
Packaged: 2018-04-18 02:39:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4689344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rowofstars/pseuds/rowofstars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Doctor and Rose play a game of chess to pass the time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Friendly Game

**Author's Note:**

> For [](http://kilodalton.livejournal.com/profile)[kilodalton](http://kilodalton.livejournal.com/)'s prompt chess in the wee writing meme. Unbeta'd.

“This game is stupid,” Rose declares, slumping in her chair with a huff.

The Doctor picks up his knight and swaps it for Rose’s bishop, setting the captured piece to the side of the board. “Rose, chess is a game of strategy, skill and insight. It is anything but stupid.”

He makes a notation on a small pad of paper and then folds his hands on the table, smiling over the rows of pieces. She shoots him a glare and his smile quickly fades.

“Why can’t we play a fun game?” she asks, eyeing her few remaining pieces with disdain.

“Chess is fun!” he says brightly.

Her finger rests on top of a pawn, midway across the board and she wobbles it back and forth, sighing. “For you maybe,” she grumbles. Then she slides the pawn forward, defeatedly, as if the little wooden solider is all too aware he’s marching to his doom.

The Doctor frowns and tugs at his earlobe, unsure of what to say. He had thought it would be fun for them to play a game or two while the TARDIS was recalibrating the navigation matrix, a maintenance task that became imminently necessary after a minor miscalculation landed them in Spain in 1570 rather than 15,070.

 _No one likes a Spanish Inquisition_ , he thinks, with a slight shudder.

Rose watches tiredly as the Doctor tilts his head left and then right, her eyes lifting to his hair, mussed and spiked out in impossible directions. She thinks briefly about what it would feel like to run her fingers through it and then looks down just in time to see him take her second knight and scowls.

She reaches out to shift her pawn forward again, the only move she’s sure is safe. “I like checkers,” she says, scowling as he swiftly moves his rook to claim her queen. “Or cards. Oh, we could play rummy!”

“Oh, I’m rubbish at cards,” he replies, and her enthusiasm drains away.

“You didn’t used to be,” she mumbles and then immediately regrets it. Glancing up she can see the disappointment and hurt in his eyes. “I didn’t mean –”

He nods and she trails off. “It’s okay,” he says softly. “Regenerations take some getting used to.”

He swallows and adds, “For both of us.”

Rose gives him an apologetic smile and covers his hand with hers, using the other to move her pawn one more time.  
They are silent for a few minutes as the Doctor relieves Rose of another bishop, a rook and 2 pawns.

“So, checkers, eh?” he asks.

She grins. “Estate champion three years running.”

He grins back and raises his eyebrows. “Impressive.”

“I so am,” she says, tongue pushing at her front teeth.

When Rose looks back down at the board her eyes go wide. She lifts up the lone pawn one last time, sets it down firmly, next to the Doctor’s king in the far corner of the board where it was formerly guarded by his rook.

“King me.”

Then she sits back in her chair and smirks with her arms folded defiantly across her chest.

The Doctor frowns, looks from her to the white pawn sitting in front of him and back to her again. “You can’t get a king for a pawn, it has to be a captured piece.”

Rose rolls her eyes. “Then _queen_ me.”

She stretches across the table and plucks her queen from the row of pieces lined up along the edge of the board, setting it back on the board in place of the victorious pawn. Her left eyebrow rises in challenge and her lips twitch in an effort not to laugh.

Doctor’s frown deepens as he realizes his new predicament.

A moment later his mood brightens and he shoves away from the table, moving towards the door in a few long strides. “Come on, Rose, _allons-y_! Time to check on the recalibration!”

Rose smiles and shakes her head, hurrying after him.


End file.
